Pan Pacific Vancouver — Hotel in Vancouver

This is a difficult review to write.

We stayed at the Pan Pacific this weekend during a conference. We had learned of a special rate through our employer ($399/nt) and decided to splurge on what we hoped would be a once-in-a-lifetime stay at a top-rated hotel.

When we checked in, we inquired about dining at Five Sails were informed it was reservation-only, and we would be unlikely to get a table there.

We learned parking would be $50 per night.

We were given a wifi password and went to our room on the 20th floor.

The elevators were busy; only 1/2 of the elevators to the parking levels were working, and only 2/4 of the room access elevators were operable.

We arrived at our room. It seemed nice - it had a view of the city, was bright, yet quiet. The room had a mild smoky smell near the bathroom/entrance.

We learned there was a charge to access the wifi. We used our phone data instead.

We went to get a drink, but there was no liner for the ice bucket, so we put some in a reusable water bottle.

The drinking glasses were speckled and dusty on the inside even though they had been stored face down on a napkin. We washed them before use.

While hanging out in the room, one of us had an allergic reaction. It improved with antihistamines but flared up as soon as the meds wore off.

We enjoyed a nice dinner at Nightingale a few minutes away rather than hope for a table at Five Sails. We wanted to try the Apple dessert there but neither takeout nor room service were possible.

At bedtime we noticed black hairs in the bathtub and found long hair tangled inside a folded towel.

The king bed had 3 pillows. We both prefer 2 pillows each but it was late, so we didn't call to inquire about more pillows. (We had read there was a pillow menu at this hotel but didn't notice anything to that effect in the room.)

Nothing up to this point was so bad that we felt it merited making a fuss. We wondered if our experience was because we were there on an employer discount rather than paying full price.

The next morning was the clincher.

One of us yelped in pain getting out of bed. We examined the mattress and noticed a hole in the side. When pressed, the sharp edge of a spring protruded, leaving a painful scratch.

If we'd noticed it the day before we would have asked to change rooms, but it was already the next morning, near the end of our stay.

Concierge referred us to the manager, who listened and apologized, explaining this wasn't an acceptable experience for their guests. He offered to reduce the cost of the stay by $150.

Because of the allergic reaction and thigh scratch, we decided not to go for a swim, nor go for breakfast at the hotel.

We packed up and got ready to leave.

The wait for the elevator was awkward - the full elevator stopped on 6 floors on the way to the lobby; frustrated guests were waiting as multiple elevators passed by, totally full.

On one floor we saw a family with a large fluffy dog.

Then we realized a possible reason for the allergic reaction - one of us has a dog allergy. We hadn't even considered it would be relevant when booking.

We arrived at the lobby to check out. We urged the staff member not to put anyone in that room until the bed had been assessed and repaired.

The cost for our stay came to $380. This was the most we've ever paid for a single-night in a hotel. We've experienced much better hospitality and service at far less expensive venues.

The Pan Pacific was disappointing and did not live up to any of the expectations we had read in reviews. An injury to a guest should have been dealt with swiftly and delicately, ensuring the guest's well-being, making every effort to apologize and persuade them to return.

No one even offered to come up to the room to take a look at it.

We cannot in good conscience return to this establishment in the future, nor recommend it to others after the experience we've had.

We would caution potential guests to consider other nearby hotel options rather than suffer the potential costs to your...

I enjoyed my two-night stay immensely. I would have stayed for a third night if I could but the hotel was fully booked, thanks to the deluge of passengers from the four (!) cruise ships. ||Location:||The waterfront location was superb. I really enjoyed walks along the harbour, as well as the Flyover rides (went twice!) and the nearby restaurants (Rileys and Chop Steakhouse & Bar). ||Check-in/GHA Discovery Titanium Recognition:||It is a very busy hotel. Upon arrival, bellhops were mainly focused on helping guests from the cruise ships. There was a serious bottleneck at the regular queue at check-in. Thankfully as a GHA/Discovery member, I used the much shorter “Pacific Club” express lane. ||Savannah at front desk was both pleasant and efficient. My Titanium status was recognised and I had an early check-in, and a double room upgrade. ||The Room:||I had a gorgeous, spacious room with a king bed on the 20th floor, with a spectacular harbour view. There was the same spectacular harbour view from the bath tub and shower in the bathroom that was stocked with Apotheke toiletries from New York. There were of course welcome amenities (chocolates and a small bottle of Perrier), but breakfast was not complimentary. Housekeeping did a great job keeping the room spick and span, with room amenities replenished accordingly. I also had quite a lot of laundry (from my time in the Rockies) and everything was done and delivered promptly. ||The Staff:||Besides Savannah, other professional staff at front desk were Mayu and Georgina. I found Mayu absolutely cool, calm and collected as hotel guests queued to make all kinds of enquiries and requests. I appreciated that at short notice, she helped me book a full-day tour to Victoria and Butchard Gardens. (Unfortunately, the tour guide-cum-driver from Westcoast Sightseeing/Big Bus Tours was the worst I had ever encountered in my life. He was unbelievably harsh and unpleasant; gave vague instructions which caused undue anxiety; and towards the end of the tour, the bus he drove had faulty brakes. I think other more worthy tour companies should be recommended for future Victoria/Butchard Gardens tours.) ||To make up for this disappointment, I was impressed that Georgina made it possible for me to check out at 4pm, just so that I would end my stay on a high note. That was such an empathic, smart move. (Titanium members get to have late checkout till 4pm, but subject to availability, and at that time, they were actually fully booked.) ||The late checkout allowed me to finish another day tour, with just enough time to freshen up before a hassle-free checkout. This left me with a strong positive impression, and really made my stay truly memorable from start to finish. It’s always important to start well and end well. ||Hotel Dining:||I only had the opportunity to have room service; pre-dinner drinks and a snack at Coal Harbour Bar; and the buffet breakfast at Oceans 999. (What a pity I missed trying Five Sails though. It even has an affordable prix fixe lunch menu, so I really don’t have an excuse for missing the opportunity!)||However, room service was prompt. After a long day visiting Victoria and Butchard Gardens, I enjoyed my Angus beef burger with fries and a slice of Black Forest cake, in the comfort of my room. ||However, it took a long time to be seated and served at Coal Harbour Bar. It seemed understaffed. Patrick manning the bar counter was pleasant and apologetic about the slow service. The gyozas he recommended were delicious though. ||I tried the buffet breakfast at Oceans 999. It was decent, with the usual standard items of bacon, eggs, sausages, fruits. ||Minor hiccups aside, I had a really wonderful, memorable stay at Pan Pacific Vancouver. The location. The room. The views. The perks. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone considering a hotel in Vancouver, especially GHA/Discovery Titanium members. ||Kudos to the Pan Pacific...

It's ok. We are traveling on a road trip through Western Canada, and were hoping for a nice hotel in Vancouver. The views are fantastic! The staff have been very polite, and helpful. The rooms are mediocre, especially after seeing the beautiful lobby. The beds are too firm, and the pillows are nearly flat, feather pillows. The rooms are also very small comparatively to others we've been in, even on this trip. The bathroom has some tile work, but a lot of it is mildewed. The pool looks nice, but is very shallow like an above ground pool. The first elevator on the right, in the bank of 4 smelled like urine when we first tried to go to our room. To the point where we walked right back off, and took a different elevator. We ordered room service at 10 last night after swimming, but it didn't arrive until 11 because they sent it to the wrong room. (Also tough when trying to get the kids ready for bed). My son's order was incorrect, they did try to rectify it by remaking his (thankfully because the restaurant closed at 11), but his was the only one that got eaten as the others were all dried out and tasted bad after waiting that long (the girls had fish and chips $20 each-they didn't touch them other than a couple of fries) (he had pasta also $20) we had 3 banana strawberry milkshakes ($12 each) which were like water by the time we got them, and made my son's $8 chocolate milk look like the better choice. I had the butter chicken ($34- made with dark meat, and only 4 small pieces, not even a whole chicken breast), which flavour wise would have been good, but by the time it came, the rice was hard and dried out. The concierge was quick to replace my son's order as it had come with the wrong sauce, and he told me he would remove his food charge. But the only thing that got eaten really was the remade pasta, and I ate some of the melted brie and bread ($23). The room service was $225 with gratuity. Overall, I don't think we would stay here again, unless we are going on a cruise as they have long term parking. For the price point, things like the Bellagio in Vegas are far nicer. It is ok, but not really what I was hoping for, perhaps my expectations were too high as a lot of things in Vancouver are more costly. The kids really think the bathroom door is nice because it either shuts the main portion, or swings open further to close off the toilet area. You can connect to the tv to change the channel, but not cast movies, streaming, etc (though the consierge said that may be available on other floors), I booked our room the day of as we are booking as we go with this trip, so maybe that's why our room isn't as nice. I bathed our youngest when we first arrived, and the towels were all threadbare as well. But when I called for more from the pool and for slippers, they brought some up to our...